Typographical composing machines



Oct. 25, 1955 l. c. MIMS 2,721,648

TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINES Filed Sept. 24, 1952 United StatesPatent Ofiice 1723,4548 Patented Oct. 25, 1955 TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSINGMACHINES Ivan C. Mims, Raleigh, N. C., assignor to Mergenthaler LinotypeCompany, a corporation of New York Application September 24, 1952,Serial No. 311,247

7 Claims. (Cl. 199-26) This invention relates to typographical composingmachines of the general organization represented in United StatesLetters Patent to O. Mergenthaler, No. 436,532, wherein circulatingmatrices and spacebands are composed in line in an assembling elevatorby the operation of a keyboard, the elevator raised to line transferposition, the composed line transferred therefrom to the face of a moldfor the casting of a type bar or slug, and the matrices and spacebandsthereafter separated and returned to their places of storage. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to machines of that class adapted tobe equipped with an automatic control unit, such as the Teletypesetterunit, which automatically operates the keyboard and raises theassembling elevator.

In these machines, the character bearing matrices are stored inmagazines and are selectively released therefrom in response to codeperforations in a tape. The storage magazines are divided into aplurality of individual channels, and each channel of a full-lengthmagazine accommodates approximately twenty matrices, each bearing thesame identical character, although more than one channel may be setaside for characters in more frequent use, such as the letter e. Afterthe casting operation, the matrices are returned to their respectivechannels in the magazine by a well-known distributing mechanism.

When composition is taking place at relatively high speeds, it iscustomary to have two composed lines in transit through the machinewhile a third one is in process of composition. For example, while aline is being cast, there may be a second composed line in the waitingposition, that is, waiting to be received by the transporter whichcarries the line to the casting position, and a third line composed orin process of composition in the assembling elevator. When composingregular column width lines, the font of matrices capable of being storedin the magazine is usually adequate to permit the composition of atleast three full lines without exhausting completely the matrices storedin any one channel, but when composing exceptionally long lines, forexample doublecolumn width lines, composition at this rate of speed isnot possible.

In casting double-column width lines, it is the present practice toleave a strip of the perforated tape blank after each line so that themachine will not run out of matrices. It is the purpose of the presentinvention to obviate the necessity for this practice by providing asimple delay control mechanism for stopping for a short interval theoperation of the automatic control unit after each line in order thatthe matrices of a previously composed line may have time to bedistributed and thus be available for further use in composition. Inthis way, the waiting line is eliminated without requiring any change inthe normal speed of operation of the machine. Moreover, the presentinvention may be quickly conditioned for operation before castingexceptionally long lines and then just as quickly unconditioned beforere- 2 verting to the casting of average or normal length lines where thedelay feature is unnecessary.

For a complete understanding of the present invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description whichfollows.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the assembling portion of a typographicalcomposing machine equipped with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged circuit diagram, showing a portion of the drivemechanism of the automatic control unit in side elevation; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 1but in a different position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the power take-offclutch control mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the character bearing matrices areselectively released from their storage magazine (not shown) by theoperation of a keyboard A and fall by gravity onto an inclined conveyorbelt 1 which discharges them through an assembler chute and in front ofa constantly rotating starwheel 2. The starwheel stacks them one by one,in the order of their release, in the assembling elevator 3 and againstan. upstanding line supporting finger attached at the end of a yieldingslide 4. When the composition of the line is complete, the elevator 3 israised and the line presented between a pair of downwardly dependingfingers 5 and 6 of a line delivery carriage 7. The delivery carriage, inturn, transfers the composed line from the assembling elevator to avertical transporter (not shown) which carries the line to the castingmechanism. The transfer movement of the line delivery carriage isaccomplished by the counterclockwise rotation of a cam operatedfore-and-aft shaft 8 and an operating lever 9 thereon. The assemblingelevator 3 remains in the raised position until the line is removedtherefrom, after which the elevator 3 is released and permitted to fallby gravity to its line composing position, all in the usual manner.

The automatic operation of the keyboard is controlled by the passage ofa perforated tape through a reader mechanism, shown in phantom in Fig. 1and generally designated by the reference character B, such as theTeletypesetter control mechanism shown and described in U. S. Patent No.2,091,286 and others. For present purposes, it suffices to say that thetape is advanced by a cam actuated ratchet in a step by step manner froma driven shaft 12. This shaft 12 is connected through a clutch mechanism11 (see Fig. 2) to a helical gear 13 on a shaft 13 and said gear 13 isin mesh with a helical gear 14 on a shaft 15, which latter is driven bymeans of a belt and pulley from the so-called intermediate shaft of themachine.

In the normal operation of the tape control mechanism, when a completeline has been composed in the assembling elevator 3, the rotation of thetape advancing shaft 12 is interrupted by the movement of a lever 18about its pivot 18 into engagement with the shaft. The shaft 12 isprovided with a projecting lug 19 which, in the operated position of thelever 18, is adapted to enter a hole 20 formed therein, said holepresenting a beveled edge 20 which engages the lug 19 and causes thedisengagement of the clutch 11 and brings the shaft 12 to a stop. Whilethe feed tape is stopped, the assembling elevator is raised to deliverthe line to the transfer position. When the elevator returns to the linereceiving position, the lever 18 is pivoted back to inoperativeposition, releasing the lug 19 and permitting the reengagement of theclutch 11 to restore the driving connection to the tape advancingmechanism.

The raising of the assembling elevator is effected through connectionsfrom a driven shaft 48 which is 1'0- tated from the power operated shaftby helical gears similar to the gears 13 and 14 and through a clutchsimilar to the clutch 11. The clutch for the elevator lifting shaft isnormally held open by a lever 219 (Fig. 4) which is similar in allrespects to the clutch lever 18 for the tape advancing shaft 12. Afterthe clutch lever 219 has been actuated to release the clutch, it isautomatically restored to its clutch disengaging position in time toarrest the elevator lifting shaft 48 after it has made one completerotation.

In the normal operation of the automatic control unit, the tapeadvancing shaft 12 is first arrested after the composition of each line,such arrest being etfected by a tape signal which causes the lever 18 tobe moved to its clutch disengaging position. Concurrently therewith, thelever 219 is caused to be moved to its clutch engaging position toinitiate the rotation of the elevator lifting shaft 48. However, suchcltuch engaging movement of the lever 219 cannot take place unless theline delivery carriage is at the time in its line receiving position.But, once the elevator lifting shaft is started, it will make onecomplete rotation and come to rest automatically regardless of any ofthe other elements in the control unit, whereupon the tape advancingshaft 12 is restarted regardless of the position of the line deliverycarriage.

The foregoing parts and their manner of operation are standard and wellknown, but, if desired, the above cited Patent No. 2,091,286 may bereferred to for a more complete understanding of a type composingmachine and the automatic control unit therefor. For the sake ofcomparison it may be stated that Figs. 2 and 4 of the instantapplication correspond, respectively, to Figs. 14 and 15 of said patent.

From the above description, it is evident that the line compositionrecommences as soon as the assembling elevator 3 returns to linereceiving position, notwithstanding the fact that the delivery carriage7 may be in the waiting position, being unable to deliver the previouslycomposed line to the vertical transporter until the latter has deliveredup a still previous line. According to the present invention, therestarting of the tape, and consequently the composition of the line,when casting extra long lines, is delayed until the delivery carriage 7completes its full cycle of operation and returns to the rightward orline receiving position. To this end, a cam member is fixed to the shaft8 and is adapted to control the pivotal movement of a small verticallydisposed lever 26. The lever 26 is mounted on a bracket 27 attached tothe left side of the keyboard. The lever 26 controls the transversemovement of a long horizontal bar 28, extending across the completewidth of the keyboard, through a small bell crank lever 29, pivotallymounted at 29 on the left side of the keyboard and the shorter armthereof being pivotally connected to the leftmost extremity of the bar28. The longer arm of the lever 29 engages the lower free end of thelever 26 and is maintained in engagement therewith by a small tensionspring 30 connecting the two parts. As the operating lever 9 pivots in acounterclockwise direction to move the delivery carriage to linedelivery position, the cam member 25 also pivots on the same shaft,allowing the lever 26 to be rocked by the spring 30 in acounterclockwise direction. The upper edge of the long arm of the lever29 is so curved that the counterclockwise rocking of the lever 26permits a clockwise rotation of the lever 29 by the spring 30 and thuseffects a certain transverse movement of the bar 28 to the left.

The movement of the bar 28 controls the operation of an electricalcircuit which, in turn, prevents the further advance of the tape. Theright end of the bar 28 is in constant engagement with an arm 51 of acontrol switch 31, which switch is kept open by the bar 28 in its rightmost position, as shown in Fig. l. The leftward movement of the bar 28,effected in the manner above described, closes the switch 31 (as shownin Fig. 3) and permits the flow of current from the battery 33 to thesolenoid 34. When energized, the solenoid 34 operates the lever 18which, as described above, stops the advance of the tape but, in thepresent instance, it is noted that the lever 18 has been previouslyoperated at the completion of the composition of the line, so that theactual function of the solenoid 34 is to keep the lever in its thusoperated position even after the return of the elevator 3, whencomposition would normally recommence. The circuit remains closed untilthe delivery carriage returns again to line receiving position and thecam member 25 restores the bar 28 to its rightward position, againopening the switch 31, at which time the further advance of the tape ispermitted to resume.

To permit the delay mechanism to be conditioned for operation orrendered inoperative at will, an on-off switch 36 is interposed in thecircuit. The switch 36 would normally be closed, conditioning the devicefor operation only when casting extra long lines where there exists adanger of exhausting the supply of matrices in any given channel, andwould be opened when casting lines of average length.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred form only and byway of example, but many variations and modifications may be madetherein and in its mode of application which will still be comprisedwithin its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the inventionis not limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar assuch limitations are specified in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of a keyboardfor selectively releasing matrices from a storage magazine, anassembling elevator wherein the matrices are composed in line, anautomatic control unit having mechanism for automatically operating thekeyboard and mechanism for raising the assembling elevator, means forrendering said keyboard operating mechanism inoperative at thecompletion of the composition of a line and for rendering the assemblingelevator raising mechanism operative, means for normally restarting thekeyboard operating mechanism upon the return of the assembling elevatorto line composing position, and independently controlled means fordelaying the restarting of the keyboard operating mechanism for apredetermined period after the return of the assembling elevator to linecomposing position.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1, including means forconditioning or unconditioning said independently controlled delay meansfor operation.

3. In a typographical composing machine equipped with an automatic tapecontrol unit, the combination of an assembling elevator wherein thematrices are composed in line, said control unit operating to raise theelevator when the composition of the line has been completed, while atthe same time arresting the further advance of the tape until theelevator returns to line composing position for the next succeedingline, delivery mechanism to transfer the composed line from the raisedelevator to casting mechanism, means controlled by the line transfermovement of the delivery mechanism to independently maintain the tapearrested, even after the return of the elevator to composing position,and means controlled by the return movement of the line deliverymechanism to permit the resumption of the advance of the tape for thecomposition of the next succeeding line.

4. A combination according to claim 3, including manually operated meansto condition or uncondition the tape arresting means controlled by theline delivery mechanism.

5. In a typographical composing machine equipped with a tape controlunit for automatically releasing matrices from a storage magazine, thecombination of an assembling elevator wherein the matrices are composedin the order of their release, delivery mechanism for transferring thecomposed line from the elevator to the casting mechanism, a rotatableshaft for advancing the tape, driving means for the shaft, including aclutch and a pivotal lever, which latter serves both to arrest therotation of the tape advancing shaft and to disengage the clutch, anelectrical solenoid for actuating said lever, and an electrical switchwhich is closed by the line transfer movement of the line deliverymechanism to energize the solenoid and thus prevent the advance of thetape and which is opened by the return of the delivery mechanism to linereceiving position to deenergize the solenoid and thus permit theadvance of the tape.

6. A combination according to claim 5 including an additional switchinterposed in the solenoid circuit to permit the said circuit to beconditioned for operation when composing extra long lines and to beunconditioned for operation when casting regular length lines.

7. In a typographical composing machine equipped with an automatic tapecontrol unit, the combination of an assembling elevator wherein thematrices are composed in line, said control unit operating to raise theelevator when the composition of the line has been completed, while atthe same time arresting the further advance of the tape, deliverymechanism to transfer the composed line from the raised elevator tocasting mechanism, and means controlled by the return movement of theline delivery mechanism to resume the advance of the tape for thecomposition of the next succeeding line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,970,566 Kleinschmidt Aug. 21, 1934 2,006,848 Walden July 2, 19352,086,547 Goetz July 13, 1937 2,091,286 Krum July 13, 1937

